Scout Motors Has 212,000 Reservations as Its $2 Billion South Carolina Plant Nears Completion

Electric-vehicle startup Scout Motors has about 212,000 reservations for its upcoming trucks and SUVs as it finishes a $2 billion plant in South Carolina, CEO Scott Keogh told CNBC.

The reservations are for the Volkswagen-backed company's Terra pickup and Traveler SUV, which are expected to start full production next year, with customer deliveries in 2028. Reservations are not sales; Keogh noted that highly anticipated electric trucks such as the Ford F-150 Lightning and Tesla Cybertruck drew strong interest that did not always become purchases. He said Scout could roughly double the reservation count, "easily be up over 400,000," before production begins, but that the more important test is converting interest into orders. An order book of 12 to 18 months "would be great," he said. The company said Thursday that construction is "in its final phase." The plant outside Columbia, in Blythewood, is about 85% complete, with supporting infrastructure and a $300 million supplier park still being installed.

Scout, an American brand from 1961 to 1980, had been expected to offer only battery-electric vehicles as Volkswagen expanded in the United States. Slower EV adoption and higher costs led the company to add extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs, which use an engine as a backup generator. About 87% of reservations so far are for EREV models, and 75% are SUVs, Keogh said. The company plans to launch EREVs first, then battery-electric versions, and to start with mid-level trims rather than the highest-priced models — a contrast to the criticism Rivian drew for launching its R2 SUV at the top of the range.

Both the Traveler and Terra are expected to start under $60,000. EREV models are expected to offer more than 500 miles of range, the company said, compared with 300 miles for the all-electric versions. Target buyers include owners of Ford Broncos, Jeep Wranglers, full-size pickups and Teslas. "The No. 1 thing for me is I want to go get the best volume as soon as possible," Keogh said. "In my mind, it's how quick can you get to 100,000 units? It's at 100,000 units where you can start to punch through." Reservations opened in October 2024, when Scout revealed the two models.